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National Day : Hong Kong police deploy livestream ‘presenters’ at protest sites after tightening controls on media.
by Rachel Wong (HKFP) - 17:09 local time
The Hong Kong Police Force has deployed live “presenters” during their Facebook live-streams at protest sites after tightening media recognition rules last week.
Thousands of police officers were deployed in anticipation of city-wide demonstrations on Thursday 1st – China National Day.
Some riot police officers were spotted with GoPro action cameras, whilst Police Public Relations Branch (PPRB) officers live-streamed their operations as protesters gathered.
Commentators holding microphones with a “PPRB Live” label were stationed in Causeway Bay, at Wan Chai’s MTR station, around the Hung Hom Cross-Harbour Tunnel and in Tsuen Wan
A commentator at Wan Chai station explained the purpose of stop-and-search actions as a preventive measure, adding that officers had found offensive weapons in the bags of passersby ahead of protests.
Another commentator in Tsuen Wan warned the public not to visit areas that are considered protest flash points during Covid-19 pandemic.
Media restrictions
The move came after the Police General Orders amendments were altered to update the definition of media representatives. As of last week, only outlets registered under the Government News and Media Information System will be allowed access to police operations and press conferences, alongside internationally reputable media organisations.
PPRB Chief Superintendent Kenneth Kwok said earlier that the policy change was to facilitate efficiency and aid frontline officers, whilst critics slammed the change as a de facto accreditation system.
During previous operations at protest sites, PPRB officers asked for journalists’ ID and press cards, whilst those not recognised by officers were barred from nearing the frontlines.
The force also invited “fans” on Facebook to follow their updates during the day: “In the interest of personal safety, members of the public are encouraged to stay tuned to the latest announcements on the Police’s social media and to avoid staying in areas where unlawful activities may break out,” the Facebook post read.
HKJA monitors
The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) sent three observers to protest areas on Thursday to monitor police interactions with reporters.
In response to the new PPRB “presenters,” the association’s chief Chris Yeung told HKFP that police had hindered the work of the press: “It could not be more ironic that the Police did the job of reporters by giving live coverage of their own operation while blocking the genuine reporters from getting nearer to do their job,” he said.
“It is not unlawful for the police to take footage of their operations, the same as reporters do. But they should not give special privileges to their own colleagues at the scene. It is even worse for the police officers to make comments in their live coverage, which could be biased, thus misleading the public, or even worse, giving false information to the public,” he added.
Hong Kong police deploy in force, dozens arrested, as hundreds defy protest ban
by Rhoda Kwan (HKFP) - 1 October, 17:48 (local time)
Additional Reporting by Kelly Ho and Tom Grundy.
Hong Kong police deployed in force across the city on Thursday 1st in anticipation of unauthorised pro-democracy gatherings on the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.There was a heavy police presence in Causeway Bay outside of the SOGO shopping centre from the early afternoon, as officers stopped and searched members of the public.
Several journalists, including a reporter for local media outlet the PSHK, were also questioned.
At around 1 pm, police raised a blue flag twice in the space of a few minutes, warning those present that they were participating in an unauthorised assembly and were in breach of the law.
A black-clad man carrying a large yellow balloon was stopped by police, as officers warned him his “behaviour” may “hurt passers-by.”
Police also sealed off parts of Paterson Street as dozens including journalists remain inside the cordoned area.
Several protesters chanted anti-police slogans and “the revolution of our times,” the second half of a popular protest slogan that begins with “Liberate Hong Kong.” The government has since criminalised the phrase, saying it violates the national security law, which Beijing enacted on June 30.
Ray Chan, a former pro-democracy lawmaker, was handing out masks to passers-by in the area. Riot police urged him to leave, saying he was attracting a crowd.
The People Power chair stepped down from his seat on Wednesday 30 in protest of Beijing’s decision to extend the current legislative term by one year in response to the postponement of the 2020 Legislative Council election.
Prominent pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was also present. He was arrested last Thursday on suspicion of participating in an unauthorised assembly and violating a mask ban last October.
At around 3:30 pm, moments after protesters chanted “Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times,” police on Great George Street raised a purple banner, warning crowds that they may be in breach of the security law.
The force last Friday rejected an application from the Civil Human Rights Front – a coalition of pro-democracy groups – to hold a march from Causeway Bay to Central. The group lost an appeal against the letter of objection on Monday.
The objectives of the banned march were to insist upon the “five demands” of last year’s pro-democracy protests, as well as for the release of 12 Hongkongers currently detained in Shenzhen, China. The fugitives, who were all involved in charges related to last year’s protests, were intercepted while trying to flee to Taiwan on a boat, local media reported.
Former journalist Bruce Lui, who also teaches journalism at the Hong Kong Baptist University, told HKFP he was acting as an on-site observer for the Hong Kong Journalists Association.
He said he will be monitoring police treatment of journalists following the force’s newly amended definition of media representatives: “We are concerned that under the new arrangement of Hong Kong police… there will be unfair or unreasonable treatment upon those so-called unrecognised journalists, especially when police cordon up certain areas and exclude their rights of coverage. But so far I haven’t found anything unreasonable yet.”
The force wrote on Twitter that at least 69 people, including District Councillors Fergus Leung and Shun Lee, had been arrested “for participating in unauthorised assemblies, possession of offensive weapon and other offences.”
Meanwhile, police announced they are looking for two individuals who allegedly threw a petrol bomb and debris into Lung Cheung Road in Wong Tai Sin at around 3pm.
‘Incitements of violence’
In the early afternoon, the government issued a statement which condemned online comments which allegedly incited “unlawful” and “violent” acts against police officers.
The spokesperson also warned that those who intended to participate in the banned procession would face legal consequences. Under the city’s Public Order Ordinance, anyone found guilty of participating in an unauthorised assembly could face a maximum of five years’ imprisonment.
Separately, in the city’s Sai Wan district, veteran pro-democracy activist Lee Cheuk-yan was fined for violating social distancing regulations which limit public gatherings to no more than four people.
Lee was demonstrating with activists from the League of Social Democrats (LSD) and the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China outside the China Liaison Office. The group demanded the immediate release of the 12 detained activists.
Lee Cheuk-yan later tore up his fine.
Fellow veteran activists Emily Lau and Albert Ho were also present.
The statement said the police has been “sufficiently deployed” across various districts “to ensure that members of the public may enjoy the festival in a safe and orderly manner,” adding the force “will closely monitor the situation and step up intelligence gathering.”
“If anyone is suspected of being involved in any unlawful activities, police officers will intervene swiftly and enforce the law resolutely.”
Pro-Beijing procession
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, a procession of individuals wearing red, waving Chinese flags and shouting support for China walked along Hennessy Road.
The demonstrators appeared to march in an orderly fashion, maintaining a wide space between them. There appeared to be no police presence at the scene.
When HKFP asked about the police enforcement action, a spokesperson said the force was committed to carrying out anti-epidemic work with other bureaux: “[It] is [our] legitimate duty to ensure all group gatherings comply with relevant regulations. The only objective of police operations is to appeal to the public to strictly follow relevant regulations in order to reduce the risks of spreading [the] virus.”
Police did not clarify as to why the force did not respond to the pro-Beijing gathering, but said that “enforcement actions are not based on any political stance.”
At least 86 people arrested in Hong Kong for illegal assembly or other offences
by Chris Lau, Jack Lau, Brian Wong, Chan ho-him, Jeffie Lam, Phila Siu, Kanis Leung, Kathleen Magramo and Gary Cheung (SMCP)
6,000 officers were deployed after online calls for action as city marks 71st anniversary of People’s Republic of China.
Hong Kong had earlier braced itself for potential chaos, but there were more police than protesters on the streets.
At least 86 people have been arrested on suspicion of participating in an unauthorised assembly or committing other offences on National Day in Hong Kong as riot police patrolled the city, and stopped and searched passers-by.
Hong Kong had earlier braced itself for potential chaos on Thursday, but there were more police than protesters on the streets, with authorities deploying some 6,000 officers on the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
A proposed march by the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) had previously been banned on the grounds of public safety and health reasons amid the coronavirus pandemic. The front had wanted to organise the demonstration to show support for 12 Hong Kong fugitives captured at sea while fleeing to Taiwan, and who are now detained in mainland China, accused of crimes related to illegal border crossing.
Small groups of people, mostly dressed in black, gathered in Causeway Bay, but officers were on every street corner in the popular shopping hub, which was also the original starting point of the banned march.
As of 10pm, police said, at least 86 people were arrested across Hong Kong. Among them, 74 were held on suspicion of participating in an unauthorised assembly in Causeway Bay, including four district councillors.
The others were arrested for alleged offences including possession of an offensive weapon, not being able to show a valid Hong Kong identity card, possession of a fake identity card, disorderly conduct in a public place and driving an unlicensed vehicle.
Twenty people were also fined for violating social-distancing rules banning gatherings of more than four people.
Police expressed “shock and regret” that public office holders – the district councillors – had ignored public order and were suspected of taking part in an unauthorised assembly. But defiant demonstrators stressed it was their right to protest, with some making it clear they were not afraid of the Beijing-imposed national security law.
On Thursday evening, police officers were stationed at the foot and summit of Hong Kong’s iconic Lion Rock following calls from online users to form human chains and flash their phones to light up the 495-metre hill.
Some people who tried to walk up the hill, which overlooks parts of Kowloon, had their identity cards checked by police.
Police reportedly stopped some people from going up, saying there was an unauthorised assembly there.
Tensions in Causeway Bay
There were no more than a few hundred protesters in Causeway Bay in the afternoon, though more exact figures were difficult to gauge because the crowd was fluid, scattering across the district, with some chanting briefly and quickly leaving as police approached.
At around 3.30pm, riot police briefly raised the purple flag, warning against acts which breached the national security law, after people gathered near Great George Street and chanted “Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times”, a clarion call from last year’s anti-government movement and months-long social unrest.
The flag was displayed again at around 4pm as officers warned protesters they could violate the sweeping new law after some shouted: “Rogue cops, may your whole family die.”
Inciting hatred against the authorities is considered a crime under the law, in the category of collusion with foreign forces.
Earlier, the blue flag warning of an unauthorised assembly was displayed several times, with about 40 mostly young people detained by officers outside the Fashion Walk shopping centre.
By 7pm, most of those chanting protest slogans in Causeway Bay were gone. But police were still stopping and searching people near the Sogo department store.
About six people were seen being led into police vehicles and taken away. One of them, a woman, shouted: “Hong Kong police are violating human rights.”
Wong Tai Sin petrol bombs and other alleged offences
Police also condemned two protesters who reportedly hurled petrol bombs onto Lung Cheung Road in Wong Tai Sin at around 3pm. The force said officers arrived at the scene and found scorch marks, railings and traffic cones on the road after receiving reports that suggested two men had thrown petrol bombs and projectiles towards the thoroughfare.
“The evil acts of the rioters have severely jeopardised the personal safety of road users and constituted a breach of the peace,” police wrote on their social media platform, adding the case was not classified as arson.
Police added at around the same time, they had intercepted a suspicious car at a roadblock on Tuen Mun Road near Summit Terrace. Officers found in the vehicle a retractable baton, helmet, mask and many leaflets that carried what they described as “Hong Kong independence slogans”.
Photos of the leaflets released by police showed that the slogans in question were “Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times” and “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong”.
The 35-year-old driver was arrested for allegedly “possessing an instrument fit for unlawful purpose”, “driving a car without third-party insurance” and “driving a car during an unlicensed period”.
A year ago, China’s grand celebration to mark the 70th anniversary of communist rule was marred by violent protests in Hong Kong, with a police officer opening fire at a demonstrator for the first time, injuring him in the chest.
Notes of defiance
Student Max Jin played a rendition of Glory to Hong Kong, the city’s de facto protest anthem, on the street in Causeway Bay.
The 18-year-old student, who majors in programming, said since the national security law came into force, many things had become taboo, including the lyrics of the song, which has been banned in schools.
“Some have replaced the lyrics with numbers. I decided to play the melody with my recorder,” he said, while acknowledging it had become more risky to protest these days.
However, he said he came out because he believed it was important not to be silenced.
Earlier, a man briefly raised an American flag outside Sogo department store, then quickly left after police told him he was behaving in a disorderly manner.
A quiet holiday
Shopping centres in Tsim Sha Tsui slowly opened their doors just before noon, although shoppers were few and far between.
At Harbour City, Anna Tse took her seven-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son to buy toys, with the children excited to eat at a pizza restaurant.
“‘Golden week’ is very empty this year, I preferred it when it was bustling,” she said, referring to China’s eight-day holiday stretch.
Crystal Fung took her four-year-old son for a stroll along Victoria Harbour, something she said was challenging when the iconic spot was crowded with mainland tourists.
“It’s so much more relaxing without the mainland tourists, at least it gives some space for us locals to move around,” Fung said. “I don’t really have any shopping plans, maybe we’ll find a place to eat if we get hungry.”
In Causeway Bay, supporters of the anti-government movement were also glad to see that massive protests did not occur.
“Wanting the protest to proceed is just like asking how many arrests you would like to see at the end of the day,” said Bobo Chow, a Causeway Bay resident and retiree in her 50s.
“I’d tell youngsters not to fight back. They’re too naive when they think they can fight back against the regime.”
In Tsim Sha Tsui, one youngster named Lam taking photos outside the Harbour City mall said she did not consider attending the protest, although she opposed the government for “restricting the freedom” of residents.
Lam said she attended some demonstrations last year but had stopped even before the national security law came into effect as protests had become more dangerous.
Stop and search
Following calls online for protesters to gather on Fleming Road in Wan Chai, police rounded up more than 20 people on Johnston Road a few streets away, including a father and his young son.
Police had apparently targeted people wearing black shirts, and IT technician Marco Leung Tsz-ching said he was stopped on Johnston Road for about 15 minutes while walking on the street.
“I didn’t know why they pulled me to the side. I didn’t know the others who were also being stopped by police,” the 28-year-old said.
He said police told him he was suspected of taking part in an unlawful assembly, but was released after showing police his identity card and emptying out his pockets.
Lau Fung, a 67-year-old security guard, was stopped by police on Lockhart Road in Causeway Bay and had his backpack searched because officers said he looked suspicious.
He said officers accused him of assaulting them after he pointed his cigarette at them. Lau, who worked nearby and was released 30 minutes later, said he was angry at being stopped.
“It’s like there are no human rights,” he said. “There’s no human dignity.”
Leon, a construction worker who was travelling to meet his friend in Aberdeen later, was approached by police outside Mong Kok East MTR station. He was let go after 10 minutes.
The 28-year-old said he only had some clothes with him, but was still stopped and thought police had “overdone it”.
Student reporters at the scene
Earlier this week, police amended their guidelines such that student reporters and freelancers effectively were no longer recognised. They would only recognise media outlets registered with the government.
In Causeway Bay, some journalists had their press accreditations checked on Thursday afternoon. Police also fined several online media journalists for violating social-distancing rules.
Student journalist Andew Yee Ho-chun, 21, who was reporting for the campus radio at Polytechnic University, said the new rules sent a chilling effect.
“When situations get tense, I will have to consider whether to go over to cover them now because the cost of doing my coverage has gone up,” said Yee, who feared he could be fined for breaching social-distancing rules or arrested if police treated him as a passer-by.
But he said he would try not to let that affect his work. “After all, I am really doing my work here,” he said.
In the evening, a Telegram group sent out a call for protesters to gather at Lo Tak Court in Tsuen Wan. Officers arrived at the scene shortly afterwards and asked to check the press accreditations of about seven journalists who were there. One reporter from an online news platform who was believed to be under 16 was taken into a police vehicle.
Small protest in Mong Kok
On Thursday afternoon, a few people chanted protest slogans such as “Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times” at the Moko shopping centre in Mong Kok.
Police officers who patrolled outside the mall briefly entered the premises but left without taking any action.
Protester Ma Chun-man was shouting slogans despite having been arrested three times by police for similar conduct last month.
“I want to advocate independence,” Ma said. “Some slogans may contravene the law, but we still have to speak up. Why? Because we need to voice our demands.”
He added: “Protesters cannot really commit secession by taking to the streets. Even though people assemble together to demonstrate and shout slogans, they will leave peacefully in the end.”
As Hong Kong police crack down on scattered protesters on National Day, ordinary residents fume over heavy security blanket
by Chris Law (SCMP)
Force keeps small crowds of activists under control, making dozens of arrests, but extensive roadblocks and ID checks prove frustrating for many.
One mother out shopping with daughter doesn’t know where to find her after police took the woman away in a van.
Online calls for residents to take to the streets of Hong Kong to protest their grievances on National Day went largely unmet, with only small crowds gathering to chant slogans and risk arrest from the thousands of police officers deployed on the streets.
Roadblocks and frequent ID checks proved frustrating to people who said they simply wanted to use Thursday’s public holiday, which coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival, to go shopping or join family for a meal.
A precise count of demonstrators was impossible due to their scattered appearance, but the total was estimated to be in the hundreds, far short of the tens of thousands who fanned out across the city in the previous year, when violence flared long into the night.
While small demonstrations took place in Mong Kok and Tsuen Wan, the biggest turnout emerged in the retail heart of Causeway Bay.
A woman in her 60s said she and her daughter, with a friend in tow, were out browsing stores when they became caught in a cordoned-off area on Paterson Street. The mother said officers allowed her to leave but detained her 38-year-old daughter and the friend, who were put on a police bus.
“We were supposed to have steak for dinner tonight as it is the Mid-Autumn Festival,” she said. “I don’t know where to find my daughter now.”
Police had earlier banned a planned march from Causeway Bay to Central, citing risks to public safety and health amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In the days leading up to the holiday, authorities reminded the public the march was illegal and anyone calling for independence would run afoul of the Beijing-enacted national security law, targeting acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.
Early in the day, a handful of activists gathered outside Sogo Mall in Causeway Bay and a larger crowd began to grow at the junction between Paterson Street and Great George Street. Police issued warnings that groups of more than four people violated social-distancing rules and also raised a blue flag, cautioning against unlawful assemblies.
In the afternoon, a small number of demonstrators attempted to rouse passers-by into a chant but they were unsuccessful, although efforts hours later did manage to convince a larger group to join in shouting: “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times”.
Police repeatedly held up purple flags warning against breaching the national security law, while some officers were targeted with profanities.
To manage crowd sizes, the force carried out its strategy of intervening often and quickly, making at least 86 arrests over the course of the day, the bulk of them in Causeway Bay. But some residents complained the security tactics went too far.
“It’s like there are no human rights,” said Lau Fung, a 67-year-old security guard who was stopped on Lockhart Road in Causeway Bay to have his backpack searched. He said police told him he looked suspicious. “There’s no human dignity,” Fung said.
The media was also out in force, with packs of yellow-vested journalists swarming around potential hotspots.
Police last week tightened rules for recognising members of the press, limiting the pool to only those registered with the government in a bid to avoid the chaotic scenes of reporters and officers bunching together at previous rallies.
But the revision has left many student journalists and freelancers unable to report on events without risking a fine or arrest.
– At least two journalists were ticketed HK$2,000 (US$258) for breaching the ban on public gatherings of four or more, while another was taken away.
– Student journalist Andrew Yee Ho-chun, 21, who reported for Polytechnic University’s campus radio, said he now had to rethink his approach.
“When scenes get tense, I have to consider whether to go cover them now because the cost of doing my coverage has gone up,” Yee said.
At one point, police trapped dozens of journalists on Paterson Street and demanded they show their press identification before letting them go.
– A freelancer for German newspaper Die Welt, who was stopped in Causeway Bay, said she was allowed to leave after police made further inquiries.
– Two journalists from online media Lustrous Imprint, which has about 800 followers on Facebook, were served fixed fines of HK$2,000 for breaching the social-distancing rule.
Senior journalism lecturer Bruce Lui Ping-kuen at Baptist University, who went to the area to observe events, called the move unreasonable and said cordoning off areas was unnecessary. Later in the day, officers stopped and checked several other journalists in Tsuen Wan.
Police also took away a 16-year-old with the online Real Time News, according to an employee.
Police condemned two protesters who reportedly hurled petrol bombs onto Lung Cheung Road in Wong Tai Sin at around 3pm. They also intercepted a car on Tuen Mun Road near Summit Terrace, with a search revealing a retractable baton, helmet, mask and leaflets that carried what was described as “pro-Hong Kong independence slogans”.
By evening, officers were stationed at the foot and top of Lion Rock that towers over Kowloon, following online calls to form human chains. They stopped some walking up the hill for ID checks. Video posted online showed dozens of tiny lights from mobile phones dotting the dark landscape.
The founder of Civil Human Rights Observer, Icarus Wong Ho-yin, said the national security law had cast a chill over Hong Kong.
He feared residents might be held back from voicing their dissatisfaction after seeing how the law was being enforced. “Yelling a slogan will get you into trouble, let along showing up to protest,” Icarus Wong said.
Hong Kong police deploy to mountaintop as officer claims Lion Rock gathering is ‘unauthorised assembly’
by Rachel Wong (HKFP) - 2 october
Pro-democracy protesters shone lights atop Hong Kong’s iconic Lion Rock on Thursday 1 night despite police deploying to the Kowloon mountaintop. After thwarting National Day protests in Causeway Bay, officers at the popular hiking destination claimed the gathering to be an unauthorised assembly.
Around a hundred people climbed up to Lion Rock peak on what was also Mid-Autumn Festival. Some of them waved flashlights, laser pointers and a flag that read “Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times” – a phrase declared to be illegal by the government.
Entrances to Lion Rock Park were sealed off and anyone entering or exiting the hiking trail was made to register their names with officers.
Wong Tai Sin Station Sergeant Lui Hoi-yat said that those who had gathered may be taking part in an unlawful assembly, i-Cable reported.
Last August 23, Lion Rock – a symbol of the city’s resilience – was lit up by pro-democracy protesters as they organised a human chain on the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way anti-Soviet demonstrations.
Pro-democracy banners are also often hung from the peak on important protest days.
86 arrests
At least 86 people were arrested on Thursday 1, the force announced on Facebook – 74 of them allegedly took part in an unauthorised assembly in Causeway Bay. Among them were four district councillors – Fergus Leung, Shun Lee, Lai Tsz-yan and Chan Wan-tung.
Others were arrested on suspicion of possession of offensive weapons, failing to produce proof of identity, possession of a forged identity card, disorderly conduct in a public place and driving an unlicensed vehicle. The force also issued 20 fixed penalty tickets breaches of the Covid-19 group gathering ban.
“Fifteen Operation” – a protest organised through a Telegram channel – failed to materialise on Thursday evening. Beijing’s Liaison Office claimed earlier in the week that organisers were planning “terrorist attacks.”
Reporters nonetheless showed up in Tsuen Wan following posts by the Telegram channel’s administrator. Citizen News reported that a 16-year-old, apparently reporting for an online media outlet, was taken away by the police during a stop-and-search action at around 7pm in a Lo Tak Court back alley.
Media confrontations
During the demonstrations in the afternoon, several conflicts between journalists and frontline officers took place in Causeway Bay. An Apple Daily photojournalist claimed that an officer grabbed their backpack and top from behind, causing them to fall. The officer later said he was “just trying to hold them.”
Meanwhile, a Chormedia reporter at a protest scene on Great George Street claimed that a male officer touched her chest during the operation. When she asked for an apology, officers asked the reporter to provide her information or get in a police vehicle for further investigation – a request she declined. The journalist questioned whether the Police and Public Relations Branch officers deliberately allowed the officer in question to leave.
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